The Eternal Spiral
by dreamer under a tree
Summary: What if the events of the audio drama really happened? If it wasn't just a bad dream, but real? Is Spira really damned to be haunted by Sin? And what's wrong with Yuna and Tidus? Read it here. This story is based on the audio drama and gives some ideas of how the Story of Yuna and Tidus could go on.
1. Chapter 1

Hi everyone!

This fanfiction follows the audio drama and tries to explain some questions which remained unanswered (especially why the characters act as they do in the audio). Most of the scenes in this story have been wandering around in my head for about 2 years now but somehow, I never wrote them down until now. This story is supposed to be a reasonable continuation of the audio drama, which - in my opinion - has some very interesting points (despite some strange things).

Of course I also heard some bad things about that novella, but I haven't read it myself and don't know what's true and what's wrong. However, I'd like to ignore that and since I don't know a lot about the novella, I decided to write a story which is not based on and doesn't require the events of the novella. (Eventually, I will add a few parts which could be understood as a reference to the novella if one really wants to consider it as part of the storyline, but as I wrote above, the story is not based on that and all events in this story will have a logical explanation which do not require the events of the novella (including the parts which could be understood as a reference to it, so don't be afraid of reading this fanfiction)).

Well, back to the audio drama: I guess like a lot of people, I was a little bid sad when I listened to the audio drama. It's not the audio drama itself which is about to break my heart, because I think that it allows different storylines leading to different endings, but a possible ending I feel it intends to lead to. Hopefully, a possible FFX-3 doesn't end with Tidus becoming a fayth/Sin and Yuna and Tidus being separated again. Dear Square Enix (and those who would be responsible for x-3), if you stumble across this here: Please don't let that happen. Don't do this to your fans. I guess that FFX was never meant to be to have a happy ending, but there are other ways for an enthralling story with an interesting ending.

Ok, enough of that, let me get back to the fanfiction:

I think that a story which is meant to continue the story of the audio drama should be written in a more or less similar style as the audio drama. So in particular this means that the story is told by Chuami (and Tidus), but there's also a lot of third-person perspective which tries to describe the scenes more objectively. Or let's say it like this: Chuami switched from a simple audio (for the audio drama) to a movie sphere ;)

Whenever something is centered and written in italics, someone is telling this from a later point of time. In order to make clear who tells what, I put the initial letter of that person first, e.g. 'C': _"…."_ for Chuami. However, please see for yourself; It's not that complicated ;) And of course, there are some more descriptions

.

 **And if you have any questions, feel free to contact me and ask. I'll definitely answer (as soon as possible) ;)**

 **But now I wrote enough, please read and enjoy this story.** **And please don't forget to review** (you can also review as a guest) **;)**

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy X-2 or the characters (including those of the audio drama). They belong to their respectful owners.

update January 28, 2017: Added some descriptions and conjunctions to make the story read more fluently.

* * *

Chuami: _So the three of us - Lulu, Tidus and me - headed back to Bevelle. Fortunately, we didn't have to walk all the way. We met one of the Councils' airship-pilots who was flying back to Bevelle and gave us a ride. It was obvious that Tidus didn't want to believe what had_ _happened and that he wanted to talk to Yuna again. Well, I have to admit that we all could barely be_ _lieve what had happened recently: The Moonflow cluttered with pyreflies, dead people returning back to life, and – if that hadn't been enough – Sin's return and the end of the so-thought eternal calm. And of course a cranky high summoner who didn't seem to know what she wanted. So in all this mess in which no one knew where to go and what to do next, Tidus and Lulu had decided to find Yuna and help her_ _fighting Sin –_ _whether she wanted or not. And what about me? Well,_ _a_ _t least I was going to find Kurgum again if I stayed with them; plus I had the chance to find out more about my father."_

After talking to the pilot there was a dead silence on the ship. No one said a word and only the constant humming of the engine filled the room with some sounds after the ship had started. Lulu sat down in one of the seats in the bridge, while Chuami was still standing beside the pilot after speaking to him. Tidus stopped in the middle of the room and looked around; then he walked towards the wall and leaned against it before he walked towards the window – only to turn around again to head towards the door and leave the bridge. He walked along the corridor and stopped at it's end. There he leaned against the wall and stared at the ceiling before he closed his eyes.

T: " _I was still_ _confused at that point_ _and Lulu hadn't helped me a lot with her vague words. I just couldn't understand it all. When the Aurochs and I had left Besa_ _id a few weeks_ _before, everything had been fine: Wakka had gone with us to the training sessions in the Luca stadium to coach us. Then he had returned to Besaid and we had gone towards Bevelle to give some interviews and become familiar with the new stadium. And Yuna? She was just Yuna – Some business had kept her in Besaid, but I remember she hadn't really wanted to let me go. She had promised to follow us to Bevelle as soon as possible… And then, when she had finally been there, she suddenly had told me that it would be best not to meet anymore and go separate ways for some time…_

 _It was then – when I stood in that airship - when I suddenly got an idea of what Lulu had been trying to tell me – at least I hoped that she had meant what I was thinking she had. I was just so confused, so I had to see Yuna and ask her again._

 _Well …. and then there was Sin – all I wondered was how he could return without a summoner. After all he had been summoned by Yu-Yevon when we defeated him the first time. But then, the next question that came to my mind was the still unanswered question: How could I return - without a fayth dreaming, and without Yu-Yevon summoning these dreams? Was Yu-Yevon about to return?  
_

 _Just then a thought crossed my mind and I got an idea. I needed to find out something important."_

Tidus opened his eyes again and walked along the corridor, back to the bridge. "Hey!" he called as everyone shot up. "There's something important I have to clarify. Can we stop at Guadosalam first?" he asked in a very serious voice as the concern in his eyes grew with every heartbeat. Lulu looked surprised at him and took some steps towards him, but then stopped a few steps in front of him as if she wanted to ask him something. However, before Lulu could open her mouth to speak, Chuami asked in a confused, but answer-demanding manner:

"So, what's suddenly so important that you have to stop there first? Half an hour before you couldn't wait to see Yuna and now that can wait?". At that both, Lulu and Tidus, turned to Chuami "Well, …" Tidus struggled for some words "that's a longer story. I don't think we have enough – "

"There's still some time left until we arrive in Guadosalam!" Chuami interrupted him as she folded her arms. Lulu, in the meantime, looked at him as if she already knew what he was up to. "Um, it's kinda hard to explain and I guess it wouldn't be enough time to fully explain it. But you will see it when we are there." Tidus replied, hoping Chuami wouldn't dig deeper.

C: " _Well, I really wanted to know what caused this sudden change of mind, but Lulu could be very scary. Believe me: If looks could kill, I couldn't be telling_ _you this right now, I guess._ _It wasn't as if that could have stopped me from asking, but the bad thing about it was that I really wanted them to tell me some things about Auron. So I stopped asking them and asked the pilot to fly to Guadosalam first._ _I assumed that Lulu_ _knew what Tidus wanted there; at least she had some idea of it. However, the question of what he wanted there kept preying on my mind. I was sure he didn't_ _ _just_ want to stop by and meet a friend- not in Guadosalam. 'Wait!'; suddenly it dawned on me: 'Did he want to-? No, that couldn't be' I thought, 'that was ridiculous, a suicide mission!'"_

When the group arrived in Guadosalam, they could witness a deafening silence. It was empty, no Guado, no living being seemed to be around. Absolutely contrary to the rest of Spira where people were running around like startled chickens. Tidus lead the group into the center of the city where he stopped. Here, in front of the leader's residence, he looked around. The residence was unguarded and the door was closed, but it didn't seem to be locked. Then his gaze wandered towards the path leading upwards to the next level. He stopped at the entrance to the Farplane and looked at it for a few seconds before he turned to Lulu and Chuami again. Then, without saying a word, he headed for the entrance.

"Wait! You don't really want to enter the Farplane, do you?" Chuami called as she followed him.

"I suppose that's what he's up to." Lulu replied shortly as they walked upwards. "And don't think you can stop that bullethead. Even the guards can't." At that, Chuami threw a glance at the entrance: It was guarded by two Guados, who stood silently in front of it.

C: _"I couldn't understand Lulu. Why would she support his ridiculous plan? Not only that it was dangerous for everyone who entered the Farplane in that turmoil it was in, but it could have had severe effects on whole of Spira. What was the idea behind that?"_

Then, as if Lulu had read Chuami's thoughts, she added in a low voice: "You have to know your enemy before you can fight it." That, however, made Chuami only look more confused at her. But she didn't even have a chance to think about Lulu's words as no second later the two guards attracted her attention.

"Stop!" The two Guados called as Tidus approached the entrance, "You can't enter the Farplane now." Tidus, however, didn't show the slightest inclination to stop and so the two guards draw their weapons, ready to fight if necessary. Unimpressed by that, Tidus said: "Sorry guys! I don't want to fight, but I really have to go in there!"

The two gurads looked at each other with a hint of uncertainty of what to do as they were in no mood for fighting, but as Tidus made another step closer to them they prepared to attack if he drew any nearer.

"Don't you hear what the guards say?" a foreign voice called from below, making Tidus stop. "No one can enter the Farplane at the moment!". The owner of the voice was another, older Guado who was walking towards them. "Tromell Guado?" Lulu asked as she looked at him.

"That's my name." the Guado spoke, "Tromell, leader of the Guado. Who is that who wants to enter the Farplane in these times?" he asked, looking the three strangers over. After he had done so, he turned to Lulu again and said: "I think I have seen you before somewhere."

"We are guardians of High summoner Yuna. You have met us three years ago during her pilgrimage." Lulu responded.

"Oh, Lady Yuna!" Tromell said joyfully, "Of course I remember her. Such a kind person, always doing everything to help the people of Spira." Then Tromell looked from one to the other as his expression turned to a concerned one: "So … I heard she wanted to fight Sin again. Is that true?" his voice lowered and became more concerned as he said the latter. "And you are helping her once again?"

"Exactly!" Tidus replied determined as he turned away from the entrance and went towards Tromell, Lulu and Chuami. "And therefore, we have to go into the Farplane and clarify something. So, would you please tell the guards to let us in?"

Tromell looked concerned at the gateway:"Hmm, I'd really like to help you, but we didn't close it as a precaution measure. You must know, we Guado are connected to this place in a certain way and we can feel if there is something wrong."

"What do you mean by saying you can feel if there is something wrong?" Chuami asked him curiously.

"We can hear and feel it in our hearts. If the Farplane is alright, we feel a constant, calm sound. But at the moment, this constant sound has turned into a wild mess of different sounds. It spans from the constant, calm sound to very high and gut-wrenching sounds." Tromell explained very concerned.

"So, do you know how to interpret this?" Lulu asked curiously, but Tromell shook his head: "We are still in the early stages of understanding it. But as long as we can hear the constant sound, the Farplane is in a more or less stable state. Unfortunately, it is more and more replaced by the disorder of sounds, which means that it is unstable. When we first felt it, the Shoopuf returned. When we felt it for the second time, people said that dead people had returned at the Moonflow. And every time we feel it again, something else happens."

"I see." Lulu said, "So you think that the Farplane shifts between stable and unstable states, but the unstable states become more frequent. Did you tell this anyone else but us?"

Again, Tromell shook his head. "We Guado assembled in the residence and discussed what could be the reason of it all, and what we can do. But we haven't found a conclusion yet. We first considered it as coincidences, but a few hours ago someone told us more about the things happening in Spira. We only then found out that there seems to be a connection between the things that happen in Spira and what we feel; So we decided to send a messenger to the Council. He should leave within the next hour towards Bevelle."

"I think your conclusion is justified." Chuami stated thoughtful, "It would be strange if there was no connection. This definitely needs to be investigated!"

"Yeah! And there's no time to lose." Tidus said shortly before he turned to Tromell with a serious look of pleading."Tromell, please, I really need to enter the Farplane. It is really important for us and Yuna to have a major question answered. And we need to have it clarified now!"

Tromell looked concerned at the entrance of the Farplane and then looked Tidus over again "I see. You're really serious about it – then it must be really important. But we can only let you in if the Farplane is in the more stable state. We Guado also can't say if the platform is still there, or if you may get lost in the widths of the Farplane. And you have to hurry. As soon as the Farplane starts to become unstable again, we have to seal the door for the sake of whole Spira. Weird things happen at the Moonflow, so who knows what could come through that door if it was open." Then Tromell paused for a second and looked very concerned at Tidus, "And, if it is sealed, you may be trapped in the Farplane. Please remember this."

At that, Tidus threw another glance at the entrance before he said with a smile on his face: "It'll only take one or two minutes." Then he looked from one to the other. "And you don't have to be worried that I might get lost. I know the widths of the Farplane well."His smile turned into a grin when he looked at Lulu, who didn't seem to be as half amused as he was about his comment. While Chuami and Tromell looked a little bit confused at him, she knew very well what he meant. All the more concerned, but still calm, Lulu turned to Tromell and asked "So, how stable is the Farplane at the moment?"

Tromell closed his eyes and seemed to concentrate on something, before he opened his eyes again and answered: "Right at the moment it seems to be in a relative stable state." Then he looked at Tidus again. "So, if you're ready, you should go now. It won't get better."

"Alright!" Tidus replied and went towards the entrance. The two guards unlocked the gateway, stepped aside and let him pass. Then they blocked the entrance again so that no one else could go into the Farplane. "I'm sorry." Tromell said to Lulu and Chuami "We can let only one person pass. It is just too dangerous."

"That's ok." Lulu replied calmly, "He'll be fine without us."

…

 _C: "Two minutes. 'Just two minutes' he said. Never before had two minutes felt so long. Maybe it was because it weren't just two minutes at all, but rather ten or even more. Tromell was beginning to get uneasy, and even Lulu seemed to be a bit worried about him. Maybe, it wasn't a good idea to let him go in there alone. After all, he still seemed to be weakened - although not as much as a few days before. "_

"Leader," one of the guards said concerned, "can you feel it too?" Tromell was silent and closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them again he turned to the guards and said: "Yes, I can feel it too. The Farplane begins to turn into the unstable state again. But please ... wait another 10 seconds."

Obviously, the guards felt very uneasy with that decision, but followed their leader's instruction. After the time had run out, Tromell gazed at the gateway before he reluctantly gave them a sign to seal it. Just in that moment, Tidus stepped out of the Farplane – and collapsed onto the ground.

"Tidus!" Lulu and Chuami called simultaneously and run towards him. He seemed to be unconscious as he lay there, but just as they reached him, he began to get up again. "He's still in there." Tidus whispered as he slowly sat up again.

"What hap–" Chuami started, but was interrupted by Tromell "Are you ok?"

"Thanks Tromell. I'm fine." Tidus answered and dusted himself off. "Really!" he added as he saw Lulu looking sternly at him, "I just got a little dizzy for a moment." However, Lulu didn't seem to believe him and kept on staring sternly and concerned at him, until Chuami broke the uncomfortable silence.

"So, could you now tell us what happened? And what do you mean with 'He is still in there'?" she asked.

"Er, well, where to start first?" Tidus thought out loud. He seemed to be a little bit confused.

"Maybe at the beginning?" Lulu then suggested, "What happened after you passed the gateway?"

"Er, right. Well, the Farplane didn't look that much different from normal. The platform, the waterfall below, everything seemed to be normal. But somehow it felt so empty, deserted. I'm not sure, but it felt as if there were less pyreflies. And somehow, it all felt a bit of ... hmm ... - it's hard to describe, but I guess if I said it felt kind of weak, as if the Farplane itself was dying, would describe it best. Then, some pyreflies approached and I saw my father. And then there was a sudden quake which shook the whole platform. No minute later strong winds started to blow, and I guess I also saw a flash of lightning. Then I headed back – and here I am."

T: _"I couldn't tell them what else had happened in there - not there, not then. It wasn't that I didn't trust Lulu, it was more because I couldn't really understand it myself. Not to mention speak about it."_

"Ok, that's really interesting, but could you now explain why you wanted to come here? What was so important about that?" Chuami asked a bit confused.

"I suppose he mentioned the most important finding." Lulu stated. "We'll explain it on the way to Bevelle. But now, let's lose no time and find Yuna!"


	2. Chapter 2

C: " _Finally, they started to explain some things, although it seemed that they were still hiding a lot._ _However, bit by bit I understood what they were getting at and why Tidus had wanted to visit the Farplane so desperately. It made sense. So our next mission was finding Yuna, Kurgum and Wakka. We didn't know where they were exactly and unfortunately, the comm-sphere system of our airship was still not working, so I couldn't contact one of_ _the Council's members_ _to ask where they could be. The latest information we had was that Yuna had been in Bevelle and had promised the people of Spira to fight Sin again. But in the meantime, she could have gone nearly everywhere._

 _Well, was it surprising if I told you that we didn't even get the change to look for them? As soon as our ship had landed on the airport outside of Bevelle, a group of panic people ran past us towards the city. They were screaming and crying, but we didn't understand much. All we understood was that they were calling for help – and for the high summoner. Fortunately, Lulu could grab one of them and ask him for more information. He said that they had all been on the calm lands as suddenly a huge shadow had drawn over the lands. Then he said that the shadow seemed to have the shape of Sin and a big monster had appeared on the calm lands, attacking the people there and cutting off the way to Bevelle. So that meant that there were still some people in danger and we decided to run towards the calm lands and help them. Besides, there was a good chance of meeting Yuna and Kurgum there."_

When they arrived at the calm lands, a huge monster which looked like an oversized behemoth was running around at the calm lands. It cut off the way of a small group of people towards Bevelle, so the group run into the other direction towards the Travel Agency. The monster, however, seemed to have decided to head into their direction and follow them, causing them to scream and run faster.

"If it attacks it's going to kill them, along with the people who already sought refuge in the Travel Agency!" Lulu exclaimed as they watched the happenings.

"Not if we kill it first. I'm ready for a fight!" Tidus said determined as he drew his sword, his eyes on the happenings on the calm lands.

"Then let's go!" Lulu said and started for the fiend, but was stopped by Tidus' outstreched arm.

"No Lulu!" he said as he looked at her. "I can't let you fight. Chuami and I will fight this fiend without you." At that, Lulu threw an half astonished, half angry look at him. "Don't you – "

"Sorry!" he said unbending, "I don't wanna take this risk. You're needed as a mother now, and I don't want another child to have to grow up without his mother."

"Hmm," Lulu's expression softened slightly as she calmed down. Then she crossed her arms and said:"Wise words from you. You've really grown up compared to our last journey."

"I know!" Tidus grinned. However, Lulu's eyes already fell into another direction and she chuckled, before she said in her usual wise and serious manner: "I hope you still know how to ride a Chocobo!". Then she pointed towards a group of Chocobos a few steps away from them which were waiting for visitors to carry across the calm lands. "Try to entice the fiend away from the people and the Travel agency!" she instructed.

"Will do!" Tidus replied with another grin before he and Chuami got on the Chocobos and started for the monster, while Lulu stayed behind. They rode down the hill towards the middle of the calm lands, where the fiend was chasing the people. As they reached the monster, they circled it and Chuami attacked it from distance to attract it. Then they rode away and lead it away from the Travel agency. Near one of the deep clefts formed by Sin during the fights with the high summoners, the monster caught up with them. Tidus and Chuami got off the Chocobos and let them run back, before they started the fight. The fiend had a hard shell and strong strikes and required their constant focus and utmost effort. After what seemed to be an eternity of countless strikes, their enemy suddenly turned around and lashed out with its tail.

"Watch out!" Chuami called to Tidus, who could leap aside just in time before being knocked out by one of the strikes.

"Thanks Chuami, without you it would've beaten the crap out of me!" Tidus replied as he prepared for another strike. However, what they didn't notice was that the enemy's strike was only a diversionary attack while it was preparing another strike. With another diversionary tail strike, the fiend finally hit Chuami.

"Chuami!" Tidus called, but in vain. She was knocked out and fell to the ground. In order to avoid that Chuami got severely injured, Tidus tried to entice the enemy away from her. Fortunately, he succeeded and could force it back towards the cleft. Just as he prepared for another strike, the monster took a step backwards and fell into the cleft. Immediately Tidus run towards the edge and looked down to the fiend. The cleft was only between 50 and 60 feet deep and so the find wasn't hurt that much – it didn't seem to be hurt at all by the fall. So Tidus followed a small path leading down into the cleft towards the enemy – not knowing that it was still preparing for its major strike which killed everyone around immediately.

* * *

With great concern Yuna rushed downhill to reach her aim. She arrived at the ground of the cleft just in time to witness pyreflies scattering and fading away. With panic in her eyes she looked around nervously, but couldn't find what she was looking for. Although there were no clouds on the sky above, not a single sunbeam reached the ground, making it to an cold and dim place. Then she put her fingers to her mouth, preparing to whistle.

"So you still care?" a faint voice called from behind.

"Huh?" alarmed and with fear in her eyes Yuna turned around. Expecting the worst she tried to find out from where exactly the voice had come from. Then, in a dark, covered corner she saw a human figure approaching her. As the figure stepped closer, more and more light illuminated its body. Finally, Yuna recognized who it was and couldn't hold back her emotions any longer. She started running towards the person and flung her arms around him. "You're well!"

"Yeah, I am." Tidus replied softly and made a move to embrace her. But just then Yuna let go of him abruptly and took a step back, away from him. "I'm sorry!" she apologized immediately, "I shouldn't have done this."

"What?" Tidus murmured dumbfounded and looked at her, "No Yuna, you don't have to feel sorry. Why should you have to apologize for that?"

"I was just overwhelmed with emotions. I shouldn't have done this." she said again, looking down at the ground. That, however, didn't answer Tidus' question and so he looked even more confused and questioning at her. Yuna knew he wouldn't stop asking if she didn't give him an answer, and she wanted to get out of this uncomfortable situation as quickly as possible. So she said shortly:

"It's hard to explain and the others are waiting." Then she turned around to start for the way back. In diesbelief, Tidus watched her leaving and called:"Yuna, wait! That doesn't answer anything!"

"I'm sorry. It's really hard to explain and you wouldn't understand it if I told you now." she said again in a low voice before she started to head back to the calm lands, leaving the dumbfounded Tidus behind in silence. The sound of her steps faded with every move she made away from him, until even the rustling of some leaves whirled around by the wind seemed to be louder.

"Heck, Yuna!" Tidus exclaimed suddenly, not able to hold back is emotions any longer. "What's going on, what's wrong?" he stared at her as she turned around surprised, not giving an answer. Charged with emotions he then continued: "Do you know what? You're right! You're right when you say 'you don't understand it' because I really don't do. I don't understand what's gotten into you! I don't understand what's going on in your mind and I don't understand what's wrong with you – or me!" he paused for a second to breathe, but his emotions kept on running high. Still, he managed to continue in a tempered way: "I see that you're struggling and I want to help you. I want to embrace you, but you're not letting me ... I just don't understand it Yuna! So, would you please be so kind and explain it to me – in a foolproof way!?"

He then simmered down again and paused, giving her a chance to say something. But he didn't get the answer he was looking for. Instead, Yuna just stood there, looking down to the ground and shaking her head, "I'm sorry, I already tried to explain it". Then Yuna turned around again and started for the path leading to the calm lands.

"Don't!" Tidus pleaded, but she ignored him and kept on walking as another cold wind gust stroked his face.

"Do you really want us to go separate ways? Is it that what you want, not to see me anymore?", he watched the leaving Yuna, "If you do so, just keep on walking." He said sadly as he lowered his head. At that, Yuna stopped in her tracks, but didn't turn around. She was on the verge of tears and at odds with herself. Contrary to what her heart told her, she moved a foot forward – and then moved on.

"Yuna!" Tidus made a last ditch-attempt. "Please, turn around and tell me again. Just look at me and tell me that you don't want to see me anymore, that you don't love me anymore. That you love somebody else instead. "he paused for a second, "It's hard for me and it will break my heart. But if it's your wish, just say it and I'll leave you alone. I will leave you alone and get outta your life for good. Just tell me!"

Then there was dead silence again and even the leaves had stopped dancing around, although the cold wind was still blowing. Yuna stopped once more in her steps, without turning around to him.

"I can't." she finally said in such a low voice that she could barely hear it herself, tears filling her eyes.

"Just tell me!" Tidus demanded once again.

"I can't!" Yuna suddenly shouted as she turned around to him, "Don't you idiot understand that I can't? - I just can't!" Overcome by her emotions she fell down on her knees and let the tears run down her face, the wind blowing some strands of hair into her face.

"Yuna!" Tidus called out remorseful and run towards her. As he reached her, he knelt down in front of her and embraced her. This time, she welcomed his embrace and pressed her cheek against his chest, appreciating the comforting warmth of his chest while he stroked her head to soothe her. Silently, they knelt on the ground for a while, not even noticing that the wind had died down. Finally, Yuna lifted her head, still avoiding to look him in the eyes, and made a move to stand up again. Tidus let go of her and stood up as well, not turning his eyes away from her. Then both looked at each other and Tidus placed a hand on her shoulder, before he put his arm down again. Yuna followed him with her eyes as he turned around and put a step forward before he stopped and looked up into the bright blue sky above.

"So…" he was obviously struggling for some words, " please correct me if I'm wrong ... but all you said about loving another guy ... and not wanting to see me anymore … " he looked down to the ground, before his eyes returned to her face, "It's got nothing to do with love, does it?"

"No." Yuna said in a calm and low voice, still some tears in her eyes. "No, you're wrong. It's all because of love!" As she said the latter, she looked him in the eyes.

.

T: " _Her eyes told me that these words came deep from the bottom of her heart - and it sent shivers down my spine. I felt so bad, so remorseful – I was just lost for words."_

.

"Come on." Yuna said as she went towards him and stroked his wrist to signal him to go. "The others are waiting."

"Yeah, that's right." He replied as they silently started their way back to the calm lands. There, they saw Kurgum, Wakka, Lulu and Chuami already waiting for them. Chuami had become conscious again and dusted herself off. "Damn fiend!" she said angry. "I hope you made it suffer for that!"

"It took only one more strike, but at least I killed it." Tidus answered.

That wasn't really what Chuami wanted to hear, but it was enough to calm her down. "Speaking of the fiend -" Kurgum then remarked, "People told us that it appeared as Sin flew over the area."

"That's what we heard as well." Lulu replied.

"And did you see Sin too?" he asked her.

Tidus raised an eyebrow and then joined the conversation: "When we arrived there was only the monster chasing a group of people. But it's impossible that Sin flew over the land."

At that, however, Yuna looked curiously at him "So you saw what it was instead?"

"No!" Tidus replied, "But it can't have been him. He's not back!"

Immediately, Yuna, Kurgum and Wakka looked at him astonished. "Whaddaya say?" Wakka finally managed to say.

"That can't be!" Kurgum said, "We saw him with our own eyes a few days ago, he is back!"

"Then it can't be the real Sin." Tidus remarked as he looked to Lulu and Chuami for reassurance before he turned his head to the other three again, who were obviously waiting for an explanation. "I was in the Farplane –"

"You were what? " Yuna asked puzzled, interrupting him. Then Tidus turned to her and continued: "I was in the Farplane, earlier today. My father - he's still there. So, if Sin was revived he couldn't be there, could he?" Tidus finally said and looked to Lulu again to reassure.

"No, I don't think so." Yuna confirmed his conclusion. "He was the last Sin, and without the final Aeon, Sin couldn't exist. But what did we saw if it wasn't Sin?"she puzzled about it.

"I don't know. Maybe some kind of illusion?" Tidus suggested carefully.

"But it felt so real. I … I guess I need some time to think. By the way, it's getting late and we should go back to Bevelle." Yuna responded.

.

C: _"As we all went back to Bevelle, we told the others more about our stopover in Guadosalam and the state of the Farplane. Especially Yuna, but also Kurgum, seemed to be hit hard by that information. To tell you the truth, I've never seen Kurgum being worried like this - and believe me, that's really saying something."_

.

Back in Bevelle, Yuna stopped near the Council's office and said: "I'm sorry, but I have to go and meet the Council! I have to tell them what happened and I guess there's a lot to discuss." Then she looked at everyone and continued. "It'd be nice if we all could meet tomorrow morning. Then I can tell you more." After she had said that, she took a step towards Tidus and said in a low voice: "There's something I'd like to talk with you about and I guess you're still waiting for some answers. So, could we talk afterwards?"

"Sure!" he smiled at her before Yuna left the group.


	3. Chapter 3

Tidus went to his room and opened the door. Then he turned on the light and looked around before he pushed the door shut and plunked himself down onto the bed. As he lay there on his back with his arms spread, he stared at the ceiling, but then closed his eyes to reflect on the day.

T: _"I couldn't believe what had happened that day. All I knew was that it was a lot that had happened. I remembered the face of my old man – and his words: 'Do you really think that I would ever return as Sin? Don't be a fool! I'm not that stupid!' Ha! Just as he used to be … But most of the things were concerning, like the state of the Farplane – and the Fayth. I wanted to see it, ask it the question that had been on my mind for so long – but the Fayth faded before it had appeared completely. It seemed to be so weak … It was really alarming. But maybe that was the reason why I ...'no, that couldn't be' I thought back then. So I tried to think of something else, something nice - but the next thing that came into my mind was the fight with the fiend.  
_

 _And then there was this argument with Yuna of course. Well, it wasn't really an argument, because Yuna hadn't said a lot at all. But it didn't make me feel better – I felt rather worse. I guess I was such a fool, and I wondered what had happened had I reacted in a different way. I wanted to hold her, embrace her, show her that I'm there for her – always. But I guess I rather hurt her instead. Although she smiled and acted professional, I knew that she was far from being well. I remembered what Lulu had said earlier about Yuna - and she was right. She was just damn right - I should've known better. I should've known what Yuna was going to do and why she did what she did. Maybe I was just too shocked by her words a few days prior, but nonetheless I was just blind …_

 _And as I lay there - thinking about all these things - I must've dozed off at some point..."_

* * *

Yuna knocked at the door, but she didn't get an answer. However, as she knocked she noticed that the door wasn't closed completely, so she opened it carefully a little bit and peeked through the gap. Tidus was lying on the bed, sleeping. So she made a move to turn away and close the door, but then she turned around again to look at him once more: he seemed to be fast asleep. Softly she stepped in and sat down next to him on the edge of the bed. With her hands resting on her lap, she looked at him and smiled. A strand of hair was in his face, so Yuna lifted her hand and brushed it away. Suddenly, he started up from his sleep, startling Yuna as well.

"Yuna!" he stated with a start as he sat up and looked at her.

"I'm sorry!" she said quickly as she blushed. Then she made a move to rise up from the edge "The door wasn't shut and I … I didn't want to wake you!"

"Well, that's ok!" Tidus smiled relaxed at her before he brushed another strand of hair out of his face and run his fingers through his hair. "I didn't plan to sleep anyway, I just dazed off somehow." Although this didn't change a lot about the fact that she had woken him up, it relieved Yuna and let the expression of shame in her face be replaced by a smile.

Tidus returned the smile and then asked friendly: "So, you wanted to talk?"

"Err, yeah, but we can also talk tomorrow or - "

"No, I'd really like to hear what you wanted to say earlier." Tidus interrupted her before she could find another excuse not to tell him what was on her mind.

"Please!" he pointed to the edge of the bed to signal her to sit down again while he at the same time shifted closer towards the other side to give her more room. With a pleasant smile on her face Yuna sat down on the edge of the bed again and looked at him. The smile, however, slowly faded as she did so.

"There's not so much to say." She finally said in a low voice, which caused Tidus to look concerned at her. "Actually, I have only one question."

"That is?" he asked carefully and slightly irritated, hoping it would be no further bad news. However, when Yuna lowered her head for a second only to catch his eye with a tense look in her eyes afterwards, his irritation was slowly but surely replaced by worry.

"Can I … Can I stay the night here? I just want-"

"Of course!" Tidus sighed relieved, a smile returning to his face, "I'd really appreciate it."

"Thank you." Yuna smiled at him, relieved as well.

"Yuna, remember one thing:" Tidus grinned as he lay down on his back, his arms folded behind his head but still looking at her, "This is nothing you have to ask or give thanks for. Never ever!"

"Thanks" she chuckled, "I will remember." Then she lay down on her side so she could face him.

For a moment, both of them lay there silently, uncertain of how to assess the current situation. But as Yuna saw the expression on Tidus' face becoming more and more thoughtful, she decided to break the silence and ask: "What's on your mind?". Slowly, he turned his eyes to her again and said calmly: "Ah, I was just thinking ... well ... " he struggled, trying to put his thoughts into words, "There are still some questions on my mind, you know." At that, Yuna stretched out her arm and laid her hand on his arm, "So, then tell me. I'll answer every question you have – provided I know the answer."

A little bit surprised but also pleased by what she had just said, he finally managed to say:"Well, I still don't understand it all, you know? I mean... I understood why you decided to work together with the Yevoners and become a priestess; but still I don't understand what you said a few days ago. Why did you say it'd be best to go separate ways for a while – why did you want to get rid of me so urgently that you even faked to have fallen in love with another guy?" he paused for a second, "You know, you're a bad liar Yuna. But this time, I really believed it. And I guess if I hadn't got Lulu, I'd still be in the dark."

"I'm sorry." Yuna said regretting and stared down at the pillow ashamed."I was a fool."

"No-no Yuna." Tidus stammered, "Don't understand it wrong, I didn't mean to … to -"

"No, it's ok. We are all fools sometimes, and I was a fool until you opened my eyes a few hours ago. I have to thank you for that." Then she paused for a second before she looked at him again. "You know, all this strange things that happened recently, then dead people returning from the Farplane, then Sin – or at least something that looks like Sin – terrifying Spira … this all alarmed me. Everything we fought and suffered for, the eternal calm, falling into pieces. And then, when I saw you again after this few weeks, you were so weakened." She paused again.

"But I told you why I was weakened, didn't I? The training sessions in combination with sleeping problems. And then our grand idea of finding out which blitzball-player is the most athletic one….. Ok, I have to admit that it really was a stupid challenge which was aimed at wearing everyone out. I guess I wasn't really convincing when I told you that?" he asked tentatively.

"No" Yuna chuckled, "This explanation was just too simple for me to believe it in that state of mind I was in." Then her expression got serious again: "I was just worried and afraid. Worried about you, afraid that it all might repeat, afraid that you might disappear again. So I decided that it'd be best if I kept you out of all that – until I'd have found a way."

"And you were ready to do everything to protect me. Decide against your heart, sacrifice it all – come what may. Like three years ago." Tidus stated in a low voice.

"Yeah!", Yuna answered sadly in a low voice as her tired eyes wandered down to the pillow again.

.

T: _"I had been such a fool. I really understood her all too well - even more than I would've liked to. Things really seemed to be repeating and we didn't know what to do about it."_

.

Suddenly, a grin appeared on Tidus' face which soon grew bigger and finally ended in a laugh.

"Eh?" Yunas eyes shot open again and confused, she looked at him.

"You know Yuna." Tidus said, still laughing, "You should've known me better. You should've known that I'm too stubborn to let you go and safe the world alone."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." She chuckled as they both lay there and looked at each other. Then Yuna moved closer to Tidus and put an arm around him, while she rested her head on his chest.

"Huh?!" she winced.

"What's wrong?" Tidus asked puzzled.

"No- nothing! I just … forgot how good it felt to lie close to you and feel your heartbeat." She said and cuddled up to him only closer, while he put his arms around her.

"You could almost think that it had been an eternity since I left Besaid a few weeks ago." Tidus remarked with a slight teasing undertone. Yuna smiled for a second at this, knowing by the undertone in his voice that he was making fun of her and wanted to cheer her up. But she was definetly in no mood for laughing. She was too tired and the fact that it had been a few weeks wasn't something to laugh about either. So she replied in a low voice: "A few weeks are an eternity."

"Yeah, I guess that's right." Tidus remarked slightly thoughtfully. Then he started to stroke her head before he closed his eyes and let his hand rest on her back again. "Sleep well, M'Lady!"he finally added in a low voice. At that, however, Yuna nudged him on the shoulder.

"Hey!" he complained playfully as he opened his eyes again and looked at her, "What was that for?"

"You know it very well." She responded.

"Ok, ok!" he chuckled, "I'll never call you like that again. I promise." Contentedly, she smiled and placed her hand next to her head on his chest, so she could not only hear, but also feel his heartbeat with her hand. Then both of them closed their eyes and enjoyed each other's warmth until Tidus breathed a sigh of relief. "That's how it should be."

"Always!" Yuna added.

"Always!" he agreed.

Exhausted as both of them were, they finally drifted off in each other's embrace.


	4. Chapter 4

C: _"The next morning I woke up early. Despite the long, tiring day yesterday which included the fight with the fiend on the calm lands, I wasn't able to get a lot of rest. There was still so much I wanted to know - especially about my father. So I went for a walk and as I returned some time later, I met Kurgum on the corridor. He had gotten another message from Baralai and wanted to tell it Yuna, but she didn't open the door. Kurgum assumed_ _that she was still sleeping, but that wasn't_ _the Yuna I had gotten to know. However, since it was already quite late and I thought that everyone was already up, I went along the corridor to knock on Tidus door. I hoped he'd tell me some more things about Auron. Well, just when I was about to knock on his door, I heard some laughter from inside."_

"Woha, Yuna! Do you wanna kill me?!" Tidus asked, trying to sound serious.

"Nah!" Yuna laughed, „Not now! Maybe some other time. "she added playfully as both of them started to laugh again.

"C'mon!" Yuna prompted "We've got still some time before we meet with the others. Take off your shirt!"

Immediately, Chuami blushed and took a step away from the door.

"Chuami?" Kurgum came along the corridor "Are you eavesdropping again?!" he asked slightly angry.

"No! I really didn't … I only wanted to …." She stammered embarrassed. Kurgum grabbed her wrist and drew her away from the door. "If only you wouldn't be so curious!" he remarked as they headed into the lounge. When they arrived there, they met Lulu and Wakka.

"Hey!" Wakka greeted them. "Have ya already seen Yuna or Tidus this morning?" he asked.

"No!" Chuami answered. "I wanted to knock on Tidus' door just a minute ago, but then I heard them talking about something. They seemed to be very … busy."

"Busy, eh?!" Wakka asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"Never mind." Lulu remarked, "We wanted to meet at 9 a.m., so there's still half an hour left."

…

Half an hour later, Yuna and Tidus walked along the corridor towards the lounge. "Ouch!" Tidus said and fumbled around his neck, "Damn hair."

"That's why I told you to take off your shirt." Yuna remarked as they walked into the room "Otherwise there'd be even more hair pricking you."

Lulu smiled at them and said: "So, now we're comple-"

"What have ya done?!" Wakka exclaimed aghast as he caught sight of Tidus.

"Woah, Wakka!" Tidus made a defensive move at first. Then, as there came no attack from Wakka, a broad grin appeared on Tidus face and standing straight with his arms akimbo, he said. "I had a haircut, did you forget? Just think of what day is today!". Tidus hair was short again, even a little bit shorter than during Yunas first pilgrimage.

"Nah." Wakka admitted defeated.

"Good!" Tidus triumphed "I won, You lost!" Then Tidus went towards Wakka and put the band, which he had used to keep his hair out of his face, on Wakka's head.

"Aight!" Wakka admitted and handed some Gil towards Tidus. "You get the rest as soon as we're back in Besaid."

"I won't forget!" Tidus said, still grinning.

"Kids!" Lulu shook her head with a smile on her face as Tidus and Wakka kept on kidding around.

"Yeah!" Yuna agreed smiling, "But life would be boring without them, wouldn't it?."

Chuami and Kurgum, however, were a little bit confused and their eyes were clearly asking for an explanation.

"That was a funny day." Yuna smiled, reminiscing about that evening in Besaid as everyone was sitting around the bonfire.

-+-+-+-+- flashback -+-+-+-+-

 _The guys were talking about Blitzball and the best player ever – and how clothes and the hairstyle could affect the success of a player. 'Ha' Wakka exclaimed, 'You're only better because you don't have that beautiful hairstyle I have!'_

' _No Wakka!' Tidus countered, 'I'll always be the best Blitzer, no matter how long my hair is!'_

' _So? Let's see! Let's make a bet. If ya don't cut 'em until the day before the new stadium is to be opened, and still win at least 90 % of all games, then I … - then I'll pay half of the ring.'_

' _Ha! That's easy!' Tidus stated and gave Wakka a high five to seal the deal. 'Wait!' he suddenly asked confused and blushed, 'You'll pay what?' At that, Wakka and the other guys around burst out into laughter._

' _Yuna?' Lulu asked confused, 'Did I miss something?'_

' _I guess you're not the only one …' Yuna stammered bewildered as her face went pale._

 _After a while of laughing, Wakka finally said: 'Ok, let's say I'll give you some gil for every day from tomorrow on until that day! But if ya forget to cut you're hair on that day, you'll have to pay me some gil.'_

' _Agreed!' Tidus sighed relieved. 'Ha, don't think that I'll forget!'._

" _Ha, you with long hair!' Wakka laughed, 'that's definitely worth every gil!'_

-+-+-+-+- end of flashback -+-+-+-+-

In the meantime, Wakka and Tidus had stopped kidding around and Yuna gave them a signal to come over. Then she started: "I guess you're all curious and want to know what happens next. Well, first I'll go and meet Baralai again; Kurgum said he had something important to say. And then I wanted to go to Guadosalam and ask Tromell something before I go to the Moonflow. I need to know about its current state."

Afterwards she looked from one to the other before she said: "I'd really like you all to come with me. But…" she looked at Wakka and Lulu, "I couldn't reconcile it with my conscience, if you two went with me while Vidina was waiting for you in Besaid. He needs both of his parents. That's why I ask you to go home – and take care of him."

"Yuna," Lulu said and gave her a short hug. Then she placed both of her hands on Yunas shoulders and looked at her, smiling. "You know, I nearly killed Tidus yesterday because he didn't allow me to fight the fiend!" she threw a glance at Tidus, who scratched his back in embarrassment, "But both of you are right. I really miss Vidina and feel sorry for letting him alone in Besaid, although I know that our neighbours are really good with him. But a child should be with its' parents, we all know that just too well." Then Lulu looked from Wakka to Tidus and turned back to Yuna. "So we will go back and stay in Besaid with him. I know that you'll be doing well; also without us." Lulu threw another glance at Tidus and chuckled: "Besides, he wouldn't dare letting anything happen to you - he's still too afraid of me!"

At that, Yuna chuckled before she said relieved:"Thank you for the understanding, Lulu."

"But Yuna," Lulu warned, "Whenever there's something we can do for you and you need our help – don't dare not to ask us."

"Thanks Lulu, I will remember!" Yuna hugged Lulu shortly with a single tear in her eyes, "I really appreciate that." Then Yuna turned to Tidus, Chuami and Kurgum again and said: "So, let's go."

C: _"That was the first day I had seen Yuna smiling and just being happy – as if everything was alright, although it was far from that. She was just a completely other person compared to when I had met her first. Well, I guess she had drawn new hope. Hope that there was an explanation for all the strange things; Hope that things wouldn't be as bad as they seemed to be; Hope that things got better again. But … isn't it a shame that just the moment you think things get better … they get worse?"_

* * *

 **Author notes:**

 _So, what does Chuami mean with that? What's wrong with Tidus, why is he weakened? And what about Yuna? Does she believe Tidus now and what is she up to? Does the fact that Jecht isn't Sin justify the conclusion that Sin isn't back?_

With these thoughts, I finish this story for now and I really hope you enjoyed reading. Please leave some comments, they can help a lot ;)

It took me a few days to write down all these thoughts. I guess the fact that I'm no native English speaker didn't help me a lot. There were so many words which I had to look up - and try to find the right one for what I wanted to describe. So please don't blame me for eventually confusing parts – but please tell me if there's something confusing so I can correct it.

I have to admit the story is much longer than I thought it would be. Especially the Guadosalam scene was suddenly much longer than I had originally planned, but somehow all the thoughts came to my mind as I was writing and all I could do was writing them down. I felt as if Tidus and Chuami were telling me what to write ;)

Well, as you may have noticed I didn't really specify the time frame. That is because I found it rather hard to find out how much time had passed during the audio drama. For instance, how long did it take until Yuna and Chuami arrived in Bevelle? I think they got there as fast as possible and used Chocobos and hover crafts after the airship had problems, but still I found it hard to decide on how much days they were travelling. I guess about 2 or 3 days would be reasonable, but I'm not sure. It would be very interesting to know what you think about that, so don't be afraid to review ;)

I have to admit that there are some parts which could be improved, for example the flashback. I laughed as I wrote that part, but at the same time I think it's very stupid and I'm not sure whether it fits into the story. However, I didn't like the idea of Tidus having longer hair; In my opinion, it looks so stupid and he looks too much like his father. So there needed to be a good reason for his hairstyle – and I needed a reason to let his hair being cut ;)

Maybe I'll improve some parts of this manuscript, or even add some information. But if I do that, I'll let you know via an updated author's note at the beginning of the first chapter.

OK, so one **last point** :

Unfortunately I have to tell you that I don't know when I'll be able to update this story. I have some ideas of how it could go on, and the end as well as some in-between scenes are already written (more or less), but nonetheless it would take a lot of time to write the story completely – time which I don't have at the moment. Besides, I have an older fanfic which I have never finished so far. But partly, there are the same basic ideas behind them and I figured out that some of my notes for that older fanfic fit to the audio drama. Ok, I wouldn't have Sin being returned in the older fanfic, but I had someone who wanted to have him back. Ok, enough, I'm already spoiling. I haven't released a chapter with that yet, although the notes have been on the hard-disk for almost 5 or 6 years.

So, if I continued this story, I'd have to continue the older fic as well. Guess I would have to write them parallel, but that's really time-consuming.

So please don't be too disappointed if it takes a while until I update this story. Maybe I get some good ideas for in-between scenes and continue this story soon. And if not, please consider it as a hopefully interesting continuation of the audio.

Feel free to contact me and ask, if you have any questions.

Best wishes,

dreamer


End file.
